Amish Country Ohio is a unique area. While in Amish Country, you will experience a slower pace of life with beautiful rolling hills all around. The Amish are the main draw when coming to the area but there are many other great things to do while in Amish Country Ohio.
In this blog post, I share 20 of the best things that you can do when you come to the area. As you will see, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy when you come to Amish Country. If you are working on a tight budget, I have a post about 10 budget friendly things to do in Amish Country.
Where is Amish Country Ohio?
Amish Country is located in Holmes, Tuscarawas, Wayne, Knox, and Coshocton counties with the biggest concentration of the population being in Holmes County.
In many ways, it is like going back in time when visiting the area. You are going to see horses and buggies on the road and a slower pace of life and it is a great place to visit as a couple or with your family.
Where Can You Stay in Amish Country?
There are many great hotels, inns, bed and breakfast, Airbnbs, and campgrounds to stay at in the area. The best thing to do is Google the area that you want to stay in and see all of the different options that are available.
What Can You Do in Amish Country Ohio?
There are many great things that you can do when you come to Amish Country Ohio. You will find theaters, tours, museums, shopping, great restaurants and more. Below I have included 20 different activities that you can do when in the area.
I also have a post that shares 10 budget friendly things that you can do when in Amish Country. You can click the link to read the post.
1. Amish Country Theater
The Amish Country Theater is a 600 seat state of the art theater located in Berlin, OH. It has been rated the number one thing to do on TripAdvisor in Amish Country. It has also been rated in the Top 100 events in America by the American Bus Association.
The theater offers their own comedy show that is fun and clean for all ages. They also have ventriloquist Ken Groves who has been featured on 14 nationally televised appearances.
The theater also brings in various acts from all over the country. Some of the shows include: A Tribute to Karen Carpenter, Eric Jones Magic and Rhonda Vincet and the Rage.
2. Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center
If you love history and want to learn more about the Amish and Mennonite people than visiting the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center is a must stop. One of the attractions at the center is a one room schoolhouse from the pre civil war era.
At the heritage center, the main attraction is a mural depicting the history of the Anabaptist. The mural starts in the year 1525 and ends at the present day . It is one of four cycloramas in North America. The mural is 10 feet high and 265 in length. The painting is known as Behalt which means “to keep or remember.”
If you stop at the center, you will want to take a guided tour of the painting. Before you go into the cyclorama, you will watch a 15 minute video about the area.
After the video, a tour guide will take you through the history and events that are being depicted in the mural. Each tour is 30 minutes long. The tour guides are more than happy to answer questions that you may have.
The Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center also contains a Gift Shop/Bookstore. At the gift shop, you will find authentic handcrafts of the Amish and Mennonite communities.
The bookstore has books and videos from and about the Amish, Mennonites and Hutterites. The bookstore also has CDs of choral groups, individuals and recordings of Amish singing.
3. Age of Steam Roundhouse
If you love steam railroad locomotives, then you are going to really enjoy the Age of Steam Roundhouse. The roundhouse is 48,000 square feet and it looks to preserve tools, locomotives, railroad cars and machinery of the steam age.
The Age of Steam Roundhouse is just a short drive from the Village of Sugarcreek. It is located on 34 acres. The roundhouse has the largest private collection of steam locomotives in the world.
On the site there is a storehouse, wood water tank, storage tracks, ash pit, coal dock, back shop and an 18 stall, brick roundhouse surrounding a 115 foot turntable and turntable pit.
There are informative tours that are given April through November and the tours are given on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. Each tour will last from an hour to 1.5 hours.
They also offer other tours and events at the roundhouse throughout the year. For example, they have an Iron and Ales event where local breweries are featured with live music and appetizers. They also have Santa Comes to the Roundhouse where kids can get their picture taken with Santa.
4. Ohio Star Theater at Dutch Valley
Located in the village of Sugarcreek on the Dutch Valley restaurant campus is the 500 seat Ohio Star Theater. The state of the art theater was opened in 2017.
The theater offers concerts and Broadway style musicals throughout the year. You can also book a show, a nights stay at the Carlisle Inn and dinner at Dutch Valley restaurant all in one package.
5. David Warther Carvings
Located a mile west of Sugarcreek is David Warther Carvings. David is a master carver of ships which he makes out of ivory, which is obtained legally in the United States, ebony wood and abalone pearl.
There are over 90 ships which are housed in a 10,000 square foot facility. There are five spacious rooms that house the ships which are all carved in the scrimshaw method of carving.
Some of the different ships David has carved include Christopher Columbus’ ships the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, the Mayflower, and the H.M.S. Bounty and Endeavor.
With his carvings, David is tracing the history of ships from 3000 BC till present day. The history of carving runs in his family. David’s grandfather Ernest “Mooney” Warther was a master carver of steam engine trains.
There is a gift shop that you can explore. Plus, there is a 30 foot clock tower that has a spiral staircase that you can go to the top of to get a better view of the surrounding area.
6. Sugarcreek Cuckoo Clock
In the downtown area of Sugarcreek, which is known as the Little Switzerland of Ohio. is one of the world’s largest cuckoo clocks. In 1977, it was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest cuckoo clock. That title may now be with a cuckoo clock in Germany but it still is one of the world’s largest.
The clock was built in 1972 and was located at Alpine Alpa restaurant located between Wilmot and Winesburg, OH. The clock was brought to the village in 2012 and restored by volunteers. It is 23 feet tall and 24 feet wide.
Every 30 minutes, a couple that are 3 feet tall located on tracks dance to Bavariian music from a 5 piece band and a cuckoo bird pops out. The clock does this April through November from the hours of 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
7. The Farm at Walnut Creek
The Farm of Walnut Creek is located in the heart of Amish country. It is a working farm so depending on what season of the year that you visit you may see planting, thrashing, harvesting, canning or growing produce.
On the farm are 500 different animals that come from 6 of the 7 continents. Some of the animals that are on the farm include: llamas, buffalo, horses, deer, giraffes and more.
You can take a tour with your car and hand feed the animals or you can take a horse drawn wagon ride to feed them. There is also a petting area to get even closer to some of the animals.
You can also stroll through the farmhouses and they have a produce stand. Plan to spend 2-3 hours here.
8. Troyer’s Amish Tours
Troyer’s Amish Tours offer a variety of tours through Amish country. The tours are not cookie cutter. They take into account what the people who are going on the tour are interested in and build their tour around those interests.
A few of the areas that they can cover in a tour include: farming and agriculture, history and culture, shops and artisans, and wine and wineries.
There are three basic tours that last 1.5 hours, 2 hours and 3 hours in length. They also offer a Wine Sampler Tour where they travel to three local wineries and people get a glass of wine at each stop. You can also take a tour that includes a meal at an Amish home.
If you have a group of 25 or more people, you can take the charter coach tour. These tours are half day or full day in length.
9. Victorian House Museum
The Victorian House is 7,000 square feet and has 28 rooms. The house was built in 1901 and by touring the house you will experience the history of the Holmes County area, with glassware, furniture and period pieces.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house has appeared on HGTV’s “Victorian Home.” It has been in the magazine Victorian Homes. The movie “Love Finds You a Valentine” was shot in the house.
During the winter, the house is decorated with holiday decor and has over 40 trees throughout it.
10. Amish Country Riding Stables
If you are looking to take in the scenery of Amish Country off the beaten path then the Amish Country Riding Stables is a great way to do it. The stables are located at the Guggisberg Swiss Inn.
The stables are open from May through October and you can take a ride on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Friday and Saturdays. Reservations are required when booking on Saturdays and all skill levels are welcome.
They keep group sizes to a minimum. The groups range in size from two to five people. Rides are around 45 minutes in length.
11. Yoder’s Amish Home
Yoder’s Amish home is located on SR 515 north of Walnut Creek. You can take a tour of the property from late April through late October.
On the property, you will find two homes and a barn that was built in 1885. They offer 35-40 minute tours of the two homes as well as the barn. The tour guides will take any questions that you may have about the homes, barn and Amish culture. You can also pet the animals that are located in the barn.
Besides touring the homes and barn, you can also take a buggy ride, buy a souvenir in the gift shop and have a bite to eat in the picnic area.
12. Alpine Hills Museum
Alpine Hills Museum is located on Main Street in the downtown area of Sugarcreek. The three story museum was established in 1976 with the mission of collecting and displaying artifacts of historical significance to the Sugarcreek area.
The museum has a short video that explains the impact of the Amish culture and Swiss immigrants that settled in the area. There are numerous audio visual displays throughout the museum, such as an 1895 fire house, 1900 Amish kitchen, an 1890 cheese house, an early wood shop and more displays and artifacts.
There is no charge at the museum but they do take donations.
13. German Culture Museum
The German Culture Museum is located in the village of Walnut Creek. The museum houses displays of items from the Amish, German and Swiss people that settled in Walnut Creek Township and Holmes County.
Some of the things that you will see while visiting the museum include: a replica of a one room cabin, a children’s room and school room, a church, a barn, and various vehicles.
Donations are accepted.
14. Millersburg Glass Museum
The Millersburg Glass Museum is part of the Holmes County Historical Society. The museum displays 400 pieces of highly collectible carnival glass. This glass was only produced for 3 years from the Millersburg Glass Company from 1909-1912.
In the museum you will learn about the glass plant, the workers and the owner John Fenton of the Fenton Brothers. The museum is located next to the Victorian House and that is where you can purchase tickets.
15. Amish Heartland Tours
Amish Heartland Tours was established in 1993. The tour company provides custom bus tours, speciality tours and meals. The bus tours are ½, full day, and multi day. You can pick and choose aspects of the tour.
They also offer a pizza meal in an Amish home, a meal in an Amish home, Amish farm and home tours, and private group tours. Amish Heartland Tours has a 5.0 rating out of 5.0 on TripAdvisor.
16. Ernest Warther’s Museum and Gardens
Ernest Warther’s Museum and Gardens is located in Dover, Ohio. The museum is built around the original location of Ernest Warther and his wife’s home.
Ernest Warther was a master carver and in the museum you will see the locomotives that he carved from hand out of ivory, ebony, and walnut. Guided tours are given 3 times a day with no reservation needed.
At the museum, you will also see Mrs Warther’s button collection of over 73,000 buttons made into different shapes as well as her garden that still has plants that bloom.
17. Coblentz Chocolates
If you are a chocolate lover then, Coblentz Chocolates is going to be a must stop for you in Amish Country. Coblentz Chocolates is located in Walnut Creek. The company was started in 1987 by Jason and Mary Coblentz in their kitchen.
They use local butter and cream as well as a high percentage of cocoa butter in the chocolate that they make. Coblentz makes milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and even sugar free chocolate.
Besides making chocolate, you can also find caramel popcorn, fudge, packaged candies and chocolates and hand moulded novelties to satisfy your sweet tooth.
18. Shop in the Area
If you want to get your shopping on, then Amish Country is going to be for you. You can find all kinds of different shops all over the area. A number of the best places to shop include: Berlin, Walnut Creek, Sugarcreek, Charm, Mt. Hope, and Millersburg.
In Amish Country, you can find trendy clothes and decor, Amish furniture, handcrafted artwork and crafts, leather goods, custom lumber, thrift stores, and so much more.
Not only do you have shops located in the different villages but you can also find different shops located on all of the different roads going from village to village.
19. Eat at One of the Many Great Restaurants
Another thing that Amish Country is known for is its great food. There are numerous restaurants, bistros, coffee shops, and bakeries where you can find some great food. It doesn’t matter what area of Amish Country you are in, there are going to be some wonderful food choices close to you.
If you are looking for traditional Amish food, some restaurants to checkout include: Dutch Valley, Der Dutchman, Berlin Farmstead Restaurant, Chalet in the Valley, Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen, Amish Door and others.
Some of the other top places to eat in the area include: Rebecca’s Bistro, Boyd and Wurthmann, Park Street Pizza, East Main Kitchen, Mudd Valley Cafe and Creamery, Old World Bakery, Wallhouse Coffee Co. and Der Bake Oven Inc. just to name a few.
20. Go Golfing
In the rolling hills of Amish Country, you can find a number of different golf courses to play. Not only do you get to do something that you enjoy but you also get to take in the beautiful scenery that you can find in Amish Country.
Black Gold Golf Course is an 18 hole public course located in Sugarcreek. The course measures 6,588 yards from the longest tees. There are 4 different tee options that you can choose from for different skill levels.
Fire Ridge Golf Course is an 18 hole public course that is located in Millersburg. The course is 6,296 yards long. The course has won numerous accolades and awards since opening in 1995.
Black Diamond Golf Course is an 18 hole public golf course located south of Millersburg. The course is a par 72 and is 6,460 yards in length.
Final Thoughts
As you can see there is much to do in Amish Country Ohio. So, no matter what your interests are there is something for you to do that will make your stay in the area enjoyable.
Make sure to go to my blog Travelwidstom to learn how to save money on travel, travel itineraries, how to earn and maximize credit card points and miles, and more.
